


Safety has a tail and horns

by ImGhostProofBaby



Series: Golden Boy [2]
Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: bfu, buzzfeed unsolved - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-01-15 00:17:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18487387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImGhostProofBaby/pseuds/ImGhostProofBaby
Summary: In order to rid the world of Ricky Goldsworth, a serial killer who possessed Ryan Bergara's body, Shane had to exchange his soul. With newfound power, Shane dedicates his time to keeping Ryan safe from anything like that happening again. What Ryan doesn't know now, though, is that safety has a tail and horns.





	1. Chapter 1

Shane Madej’s world was turned upside down in one handshake and one bright flash of light.

He came to in his room, sitting up slowly with a groan. His entire body ached, making him feel like he had just run the entire length of LA enough to put even the most avid marathon runner to shame.

”Shane?” he heard from outside his door. “Are you awake?”

Ryan.

”Yeah, buddy,” he answered. The door opened before he could tell Ryan to stay put. Shane braced himself, ready for hundreds of questions about his appearance.

They never came.

”Did I fall asleep on the way back from location again?” was the question instead.

”Uhh..” Shane looked down at his hands. His normally pale fingers darkened into raven-feather black and ended in pretty wickedly sharp claws.

”You'll figure out how to get those under control after a while,” he remembered through the haze in his memory. “Ryan won’t see you like this unless you’re stuck in a demon trap.”

” _Or if I let him_ ,” Shane thought.

”Shane?”

His head snapped up. “Oh I uh- Sorry, yeah, you fell asleep. Too much wind for you, I guess.”

“There was no ‘wind,’ you asshole,” Ryan grumbled.

”Well it certainly wasn’t a ghost,” Shane said, stretching.

”Oh yeah? How are you so sure?”

”Because ghosts and demons aren’t real.” Shane grimaced a little with guilt from the lie, feeling the weight of unseen horns on his head.

”Whatever,” Ryan said with a shake of his head. “I’m gonna shower.”

Shane saw him off with a wave, tilting his head side to side to crack his neck. The initial ache was slowly fading, and he realized he actually felt pretty good for having just lost his soul.

It was a bit difficult to remember the majority of it, but at least Goldsworth had be courteous enough to say goodbye.

The whole situation, though, prompted one giant and pressing question:

How was he going to explain all of this to Ryan?


	2. Chapter 2

Shane’s head buzzed incessantly. Next to him, Ryan was absentmindedly doodling pentagrams (the upside down ones, not the right-side-up pentacles) on a piece of paper, scrolling through information on potential locations for their next episode.

Shane squeezed his eyes shut, wishing to God - or Satan, now, he supposed - that he could get Ryan to stop doodling those fucking symbols without being asked questions. He “didn’t believe in the supernatural,” so what was there to be scared of in those drawings? That’s what Ryan would bite back with, anyway.

He let out a heavy sigh, taking his headphones off his ears and standing, walking to the coffee machine a ways away. The buzzing faded slightly with the increased distance, but it still sounded like there were flies in his head. 

He stared at the coffee machine, silently willing it to go faster so he could wash away how out of place he felt. Humans drank coffee. Shane drank coffee. He fit in.

Sort of.

He tapped his foot, impatient, until finally the machine spit the rich, brown liquid into his mug emblazoned with the logo for Unsolved. He tipped it back into his mouth, barely feeling the burn on his tongue.

He fit in.

”You good, man?” Ryan asked as Shane sat down, mug half full now. 

“Mhm,” he answered, probably too quickly. 

“Oh. Okay, you just seem more fidgety than normal.”

”Sorry.”

”Nothing to worry about, big guy.” Ryan gave Shane a playful punch on the shoulder before turning back to his computer screen. 

At least the buzzing had stopped.

Shane tried to focus on his own work, but at this point it seemed nearly impossible. A glance at the clock told him that, thankfully, the end of work was merely 15 minutes away.

He looked at Ryan out of the corner of his eye. It was far more reassuring to see his eyes as their normal coffee brown rather than the unsettling golden hue that had settled on them weeks earlier.

Weeks. Shane leaned back in his chair and reflected on the time that had passed between him losing his soul and now. _Weeks_.

He had learned in this time mostly how to get the horns and claws and such under control, and in the mirror he looked almost human to himself. Obviously others couldn’t see it unless his guard was down and they were allowed to, or if he got stuck in some sort of demon trap. He also discovered that his cat seemed a little more wary around him, though was still delighted to receive food and attention, as all cats are.

Then finally, _finally_ , those 15 minutes were up. Shane stood, taking his empty mug with him and setting it in the sink, letting it “soak” even though there had only been that one cup of coffee in it.

”I’ve got some ideas for our next location,” Ryan informed Shane, falling into step with him as he left the building.

”Mhm,” Shane said, only half paying attention.

”There’s a college in Wisconsin-the one in Madison-that apparently has a haunted building on campus. A group of college freshmen went up there to spend the night but couldn’t even last a couple hours. Seemed like something right up your alley.”

”Sounds interesting,” Shane agreed, wishing he had remembered his sunglasses. His eyes had become a bit more sensitive to light, and the sun was unforgiving.

”Not much to fill an episode, though,” he continued.

”Oh, yeah,” Ryan said. “I guess so.”

”It’s an idea, though. Keep it in mind.”

”I’ll write it down somewhere.”

”I should get you a little ghost-shaped notepad,” Shane laughed. “Write down all our location ideas on it. That’s probably the only real ghost you’ll ever find.”

”Was that a probably I heard?”

”No.”

Ryan narrowed his eyes, but he was smiling. “Liar.”

”You have no proof, therefore I could very easily be telling the truth,” Shane said with a shrug. He was smiling, too.

”Asshole.”

”No need to be rude, Ryan,” Shane gasped in mock offense, putting a hand over his heart.

”You're being an asshole, though,” Ryan laughed. Shane shook his head.

”And here I thought we were friends.”

”We are friends,” Ryan said. “I know everything about you, big guy.”

”Yeah.”

_Not everything._


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Two men walking on stairs! How scary is that?”

Madison, as it turned out, had more than one haunted place to use to fill an episode.

”Our first stop is a place on the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s campus known as Bascom Hill,” Ryan said to the camera, watching as TJ turned it to pan around the area. 

“It’s considered the heart of the campus,” he continued, now to Shane. The little pieces and facts that Ryan would be giving to his cohost would be later added and explained in more detail in post.

”There’s our boy Abe,” Shane said, pointing at a statue of Abraham Lincoln looking over the campus and over the rest of the city. As a Midwesterner himself, Shane felt a bit at home in the slight evening chill, but at the same time, something felt a bit off.

”That area over there is the one that’s claimed to be haunted, actually,” Ryan said, “but the top floor of that building”-he gestured to an old structure not too far off from them-“also has some supernatural claims.”

”Claims,” Shane repeated. “Sounds like somebody doesn’t want to admit that there’s not actually anything up there.”

Ryan flushed out of annoyance. “I never said that, there’s just less information about that part.”

”Mhm, sure.”

“Anyway,” Ryan said, shooting a pointed glare up in Shane’s direction, “the site of the statue was the location of Madison’s first graveyard, 1837 to 1846.”

”Only for white settlers, though,” Shane added, having done a little research into the location himself. Ryan seemed impressed.

”You usually don’t do research,” he said when Shane brought it up.

Shane shrugged. “I was bored.”

Ryan continued to relay information as they walked near the statue, a light breeze making the branches of the trees on campus rustle. Ryan, being the believer that he was, jumped at the noise.

”It’s literally just the wind, man,” Shane laughed. “Just the wind rattling some good ‘ol tree branches.”

”You’d say that even if a demon came and smacked your weirdly proportioned body into the Lincoln statue,” Ryan grumbled.

”Demons aren’t real so, yeah. I would.”

The lie was uncomfortably easy for Shane, just as it always had been, both pre and post-soul-losing.

”There’s no demons here, anyway,” Ryan said. “Just two men who walk the stairs of this place.”

”Oh, wow,” Shane said, playful sarcasm easing in. “Two men walking on _stairs_! How scary is that?”

”I can make it three,” Ryan said. Shane knew it was a joke, but he couldn’t keep himself from throwing a sideways glance down at Ryan to make sure his eyes were  their usual chocolate brown instead of the unnatural gold of Ricky’s.

”You can’t even reach anywhere that would kill me,” Shane said back, trying to push down the nerves twisting in his chest.

”Asshole,” Ryan said, breaking out of character and into a laugh. It was genuine and good, unlike Ricky’s cold one. The difference made Shane’s shoulders relax ever so slightly.

”Since there isn’t much to explore here, we’re gonna leave some motion sensor cameras up in this area and see if we get anything,” Ryan said, changing the subject. “Stop number two and our final stop is Sanatorium Hill.”

Shane only half listened as Ryan gave out information on Sanatorium Hill, which honestly could’ve been enough to fill an episode all on its own with how often the shorter man kept getting off topic. The nighttime cold sank into Shane’s bones and he had to pull his jacket tighter around him to keep from shivering. He ran his tongue over his teeth, vaguely aware of how unnaturally pointy the canines were compared to how they had been when he was human.

The drive to Sanatorium Hill seemed even longer somehow. Shane kept finding himself distracted by the scenery of Madison, even though there wasn’t much that was special about it. It was just something to keep himself occupied on something other than either Ryan’s rambling or Shane’s own thoughts on how he was supposed to drop his skeptic act and tell Ryan that he was doing a show with the thing he feared the most.

Shane let out a heavy, albeit inaudible, sigh. The thought of telling Ryan was heavy in his mind, but no matter how many times he rolled the idea around in his brain, he couldn’t figure out a way to confess. So, instead of focusing on the dread he felt, he fell back into his act and allowed Ryan to believe for just a little longer that things were as normal as they always had been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bascom Hill information found here:  
> https://www.concoursehotel.com/blog/entry/haunted-madison


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We’re here to kill ghouls, not spiders.”

Bad.

That was the only way Shane could describe the energy of the place.

Bad.

Honestly, for him to be uncomfortable in a haunted place was something new. Something he didn’t enjoy very much.

As the two of them stood in the woods behind the hospital, Shane couldn’t help but fidget a little, looking around and nearly missing his cue to shake his head at “-are ghosts real?”, something that would definitely have been noticed.

He pulled his denim jacket tighter around himself, fighting back a shiver. He was a _demon_ , not Ryan. He shouldn’t be scared of something that probably wasn’t there. Definitely real, but probably not there.

The thing was, with the facts that Ryan was rattling off, it didn’t sound to Shane like there would be anything even remotely demonic in this area, save for himself of course. Despite that, nerves twisted his stomach into knots, and he found himself unable to sit still.

”You okay, big guy?” Ryan asked, bumping Shane with his shoulder when the camera stopped rolling.

“M’fine. Just cold.” A blatant lie, but not one Ryan would pick up. It was cold, thankfully, so he could use that excuse ‘ore than once when needed if he seemed off.

”You could touch the sun, there’s no way you’re cold,” Ryan laughed. “Besides, Mister Midwestern, you’ve been through enough snow that a little bit of nighttime cold shouldn’t bug you.”

”I just..am cold, Ryan,” Shane said. “It happens.”

”Whatever you say, big guy.” Ryan didn’t look convinced, but with TJ motioning for them to get moving so they could continue filming, he didn’t exactly have the time for further questions.

Something flickered at the edge of Shane’s vision, but was gone when he moved his head to confront it. That did nothing to ease his discomfort, no matter how many times he tried to chalk it up to his imagination. 

Ghosts. He was fine with ghosts. The ones back at UW-Madison didn’t even make him the slightest bit uneasy. This, though, was different.

Wasn’t a ghost, maybe.

It was a little silly, but seeing Ryan armed with his water pistol full of holy water gave Shane a bit of comfort. 

The woods were silent, save for the crunching of leaves and sticks under everyone’s shoes. Shane sent a silent prayer to whoever he was supposed to send those to now that the footsteps would stop as soon as the crew did.

He looked up from the ground as Ryan went to sit down on a stump, which wouldn’t have been anything unusual if there hadn’t been a figure behind him.

”Ryan, wait-“

The figure’s head snapped up at the sound of Shane’s warning, took a long, scared look at the demon, then disappeared.

”What? What’d you see?” Ryan was asking, looking down and behind him.

”Nothing, Nothing,” Shane breathed. “Just thought I saw a spider where you were about to sit. If it was there, it’s gone now.”

”O..kay? Thanks, man,” Ryan said. 

“We’re here to kill ghouls, not spiders,” Shane reminded him, putting a grin on his face for the camera.

”Right,” Ryan replied with a grin to match. He sat, then turned to the camera to begin listing off facts about the hospital and the forest they were currently in.

It was a little odd that it was the forest and not the hospital itself that was haunted, but hearing about the bodies that were shuttled underneath the ground and burned in crematoriums around them gave the story a bit of sense.

Shane longed so badly to tell Ryan what he had seen. The figure had to have been a young man, probably mid-20s, looking very curiously at the equipment and at the stranger taking a seat in the woods the man haunted. Of course, that would prompt way too many questions for Shane to answer, and probably lead to Ryan cutting ties with Shane, finding a way to exorcise or kill him, or both.

Neither of those were risks Shane was willing to take. He knew how much Ryan loved Unsolved, and he was also pretty sure being exorcise and/or killed wouldn’t exactly be pleasant, especially since he had traded his soul to get rid of Goldsworth.

 _Goldsworth_. That was a name he hadn’t thought about in a while. Shane wasn’t complaining about that, the killer was unbearable. Having him possessing the body of Shane’s best friend didn’t exactly make Goldsworth a candidate for Shane’s favorite person in the world, either.

He was just happy Goldsworth was gone.

Oh, what a shame it was that Goldsworth was, perhaps, a smaller threat than what laid ahead of them now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my god this chapter took me forever to upload i apologize  
> hopefully I’m more consistent with updates now lol


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> J'aimerais tellement lui dire mais je n'ose pas.  
> [I would like so much to tell him, but I dare not.]

The forest, as it turned out, was even worse for Ryan’s nerves at night. Every crack of a stick or rustle of leaves set him on edge. Made him jump.

”It’s just the wind,” Shane kept reassuring him, though his words had an underlying tone of nerves that made Ryan feel like he was going to have a mental collapse.

”I fuckin’ hate this, man,” Ryan said, shaking his head. The hand holding the spirit box shook, and he had to grip it tight to avoid dropping it.

”It’s just some spooky old trees, Ryan,” Shane said back. “There’s nothing out here but deer.”

”And demons.”

Shane rolled his eyes, then raised his voice, spreading his arms out to the side. “Alright, demons! Wherever you are, come and get me! Give ‘ol Ryan Bergara the proof he’s looking for!”

His voice echoed back amongst the trees.

”Shane, stop!” Ryan shushed him loudly.

”There’s nothing out here, it’s all bullshit.”

Nothing but Shane himself and whatever was actually lurking in the shadows of the forest.

It didn’t help that their camera crew thought it would make for an interesting episode of the two of them went in just by themselves.

Ryan wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans, passing the spirit box between his hands to give himself something to focus on.

”Wanna keep walking? Or shall we see what ghosties wait for us here?” Shane asked, kicking a rock out of his path, just barely illuminated by his flashlight.

”Keep going, I guess. Look for a decent clearing to sit down in,” Ryan answered. The idea of continuing to go deeper into the trees didn’t really appeal to him, but somehow sitting down was worse.

So, they did. It wasn’t long, though, before they stumbled upon a decently open spot. It would’ve been perfect, save for the pentagram in the center surrounded by rocks. There was a white-ish circle just on the edge of the rocks that looked a bit like salt.

”You can summon your own personal demon here!” Shane said, seeming far too excited about the whole thing. Ryan grabbed Shane’s sleeve and tugged him backwards.

”Don’t touch that, dude,” he said. “You’ve got no idea what might come out of there.”

”It’s just some symbols, Ryan. I’m sure it’s harmless.”

It was Ryan’s turn to roll his eyes, sitting down on a nearby stump with a huff. 

“I’m going to turn on the spirit box now,” he warned. It was mostly for the ghosts, but also for Shane, who seemed to hate the noise.

”Fantastic,” came Shane’s response as he nudged at a stick with the toe of his boot. 

Ryan switched on the device, flinching at the screeching static.

”If there’s anybody here, my name’s Ryan and that’s Shane. Can you repeat our names back to us?”

The static increased in pitch, then settled again. “ _Bad_.”

”Can you repeat that?” Ryan requested. “Didn’t quite catch it.”

” _Demon_.”

Shane perked up, eyes flickering around their surroundings. Every shadow looked like something ready to pounce.

”It’s all bullshit, Ryan,” he said. “Might as well turn it off.”

The static gave way to silence as it was clicked off. There wasn’t even an owl to cut through the heaviness of it.

”It said ‘demon’, Shane,” Ryan said, voice shaking.

”Really? Or did it just make noises you _thought_ could be a word?” Shane started to imitate the garble of the box, trying to ease Ryan’s fears and irritate him instead of scare him.

“I heard what I heard.” Ryan was insistent. His free hand brushed the holster holding his water pistol full of holy water. Shane had called him insane for bringing it, but right now, Ryan was incredibly glad to have it attached to his hip.

Shane ignored him, humming some French song he had heard a while ago. ‘ _Tourner dans la vide_ ’, or something like that. There was a line that really was sticking with him.

”

The forest, as it turned out, was even worse for Ryan’s nerves at night. Every crack of a stick or rustle of leaves set him on edge. Made him jump.

”It’s just the wind,” Shane kept reassuring him, though his words had an underlying tone of nerves that made Ryan feel like he was going to have a mental collapse.

”I fuckin’ hate this, man,” Ryan said, shaking his head. The hand holding the spirit box shook, and he had to grip it tight to avoid dropping it.

”It’s just some spooky old trees, Ryan,” Shane said back. “There’s nothing out here but deer.”

”And demons.”

Shane rolled his eyes, then raised his voice, spreading his arms out to the side. “Alright, demons! Wherever you are, come and get me! Give ‘ol Ryan Bergara the proof he’s looking for!”

His voice echoed back amongst the trees.

”Shane, stop!” Ryan shushed him loudly.

”There’s nothing out here, it’s all bullshit.”

Nothing but Shane himself and whatever was actually lurking in the shadows of the forest.

It didn’t help that their camera crew thought it would make for an interesting episode of the two of them went in just by themselves.

Ryan wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans, passing the spirit box between his hands to give himself something to focus on.

”Wanna keep walking? Or shall we see what ghosties wait for us here?” Shane asked, kicking a rock out of his path, just barely illuminated by his flashlight.

”Keep going, I guess. Look for a decent clearing to sit down in,” Ryan answered. The idea of continuing to go deeper into the trees didn’t really appeal to him, but somehow sitting down was worse.

So, they did. It wasn’t long, though, before they stumbled upon a decently open spot. It would’ve been perfect, save for the pentagram in the center surrounded by rocks. There was a white-ish circle just on the edge of the rocks that looked a bit like salt.

”You can summon your own personal demon here!” Shane said, seeming far too excited about the whole thing. Ryan grabbed Shane’s sleeve and tugged him backwards.

”Don’t touch that, dude,” he said. “You’ve got no idea what might come out of there.”

”It’s just some symbols, Ryan. I’m sure it’s harmless.”

It was Ryan’s turn to roll his eyes, sitting down on a nearby stump with a huff. 

“I’m going to turn on the spirit box now,” he warned. It was mostly for the ghosts, but also for Shane, who seemed to hate the noise.

”Fantastic,” came Shane’s response as he nudged at a stick with the toe of his boot. 

Ryan switched on the device, flinching at the screeching static.

”If there’s anybody here, my name’s Ryan and that’s Shane. Can you repeat our names back to us?”

The static increased in pitch, then settled again. “ _Bad_.”

”Can you repeat that?” Ryan requested. “Didn’t quite catch it.”

” _Demon_.”

Shane perked up, eyes flickering around their surroundings. Every shadow looked like something ready to pounce.

”It’s all bullshit, Ryan,” he said. “Might as well turn it off.”

The static gave way to silence as it was clicked off. There wasn’t even an owl to cut through the heaviness of it.

”It said ‘demon’, Shane,” Ryan said, voice shaking.

”Really? Or did it just make noises you _thought_ could be a word?” Shane started to imitate the garble of the box, trying to ease Ryan’s fears and irritate him instead of scare him.

“I heard what I heard.” Ryan was insistent. His free hand brushed the holster holding his water pistol full of holy water. Shane had called him insane for bringing it, but right now, Ryan was incredibly glad to have it attached to his hip.

Shane ignored him, humming some French song he had heard a while ago. ‘ _Tourner das la vide_ ’, or something like that.

One line really stuck with him. 

“J'aimerais tellement lui dire mais je n'ose pas.” _I would like so badly to tell him, but I dare not._

Something rustled at the edge of the tree line. In unison, Shane and Ryan’s heads snapped up to look in that direction. Of course, with human eyes, Ryan couldn’t see the hulking shadow eyeing the small man like a wolf eyes an elk.

But Shane could.

”Ryan, what I’m about to say is going to be bizarre, but I want you to follow every word I say, got it?” Shane asked slowly.

”Shane? What’s wrong?”

”Got it?” he repeated, harsher this time. Ryan nodded silently.

”I want you to stand up slowly. Grab your stuff. Then, I want you to turn around and run as fast as your tiny little legs will take you back in the direction of the car.”

”Shane, I swear to God if this is a prank-“

”It’s not a prank, Ryan!” Shane didn’t dare take his eyes off whatever towered over Ryan. “Just. Go. I don’t want you hurt. I will find you.”

——

Ryan could sense the seriousness in Shane’s tone and stood. He picked up his backpack and spirit box, taking one last look at Shane before turning to sprint away.

There was a loud growl, the sound of something lunging, and an equally loud thud. 

Safely hidden in the trees, Ryan stared into the clearing. The full moon shone into the space, illuminating the scene in front of him. It was something he had laughed with fans about, but never something he had thought he’d see.

Shane tumbled onto the ground, knocked aside by large, shadowy claws. Ryan’s coworker had sprouted wings, horns, a whipping tail, the works. 

And he was losing.

Badly.

It didn’t come as much of a surprise, considering the beast must’ve been twice Shane’s height, maybe more. The water pistol wouldn’t make a dent in that thing.

Holy water.

Something in Ryan’s brain clicked, and he dropped his pack to the ground, unzipping it and pushing things aside.

Maybe a simple water pistol wouldn’t work, but a whole bottle full was sure to at least drive it away.

His heart was in his throat, pounding uncomfortably as he quietly snuck back towards the opening. The sounds of fighting made him want to shrink back into safety, but he pushed on, gripping the bottle tight in his hand.

It was good timing, too. Shane was swaying, fists up and throwing punches, but obviously on his way to blacking out. Ryan was shaking, terrified of missing and dooming both himself and his friend.

He unscrewed the cap, taking a deep breath.

”Hey, you demon fuck!” he shouted. The beast paused, swinging its shadowy head in Ryan’s direction as he stepped into the moonlight. It started its way towards Ryan, pace getting faster as it grew closer. He watched as Shane tried to follow, then stumbled and didn’t get back up.

Now or never.

As the demon reached Ryan, he threw the open bottle as hard as he could.

He closed his eyes and prayed.


	6. Chapter 6

Have you ever heard the sound of a 10 foot tall mass of shadow scream? 

It was certainly something Ryan hadn’t ever experienced until this moment. It was close to deafening, although somehow, he felt like only he and Shane would be able to hear it. The sound of the creature’s agony mixed with the sizzle of holy water against whatever held the thing together was sickening. 

Even after it stopped, he was hesitant to open his eyes. He could hear his pulse thudding in his ears, drowning out the sound of the forest around him. All he wanted to do was turn and run.

But he didn’t.

He cracked open one eye to stare down at the blackened area of grass in front of him. It was as if the creature had literally caught fire and burned to the ground. He swallowed hard to keep from throwing up.

A flicker of movement caught Ryan’s eye. He tore his gaze away from the burnt circle to look at Shane, lying motionless on the ground. The demonic attributes wavered once like a reflection in water, then disappeared.

“Shane?” Ryan said cautiously. He received no answer.

“I would honestly hate to have to carry you, big guy,” he continued. “You’re mostly limb, I’m not that strong.”

He crouched down and slung Shane’s arm over his shoulder, supporting him. It was a struggle to stand back up, but it was probably easier than trying to carry Shane.

Something damp was soaking into Ryan’s shirt, but it was hard to tell what it was exactly. His first guess? Blood. 

He took Shane back to their car.

 

——

 

Shane Madej woke up in a momentarily unrecognizable place. There was no orange ball of fluff kneading on his chest to wake him up, which was throwing him off.

Memories from the previous night slowly trickled back into his mind.

Sanatorium Hill.

Haunted forest.

Demon.

Ryan.

”Ryan,” Shane gasped, then coughed, choking on the word. Every movement was agony.

”Whoa, easy there, big guy,” came Ryan’s tired voice from the front. 

“Where are we?” 

“The car. Parking lot in front of the Sanatorium.”

Shane blinked a few times, looking out the window at the empty lot. “Did you carry me all the way back here?”

”More like dragged you,” Ryan said. “You’re a giant.”

His voice sounded too quiet. Too calm, considering the previous night’s situation.

The car rumbled as it was turned on, and Ryan stared straight out the back window as he put it into reverse.

”I hope you don’t plan on driving the entire way back home,” Shane said.

”Do you plan on driving?”

”I’m fine to. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Ryan said nothing as they pulled out of the lot, making their way down the road as the GPS fed them directions.

”How d’you feel?” he asked, avoiding Shane’s question.

_Like I’ve been run over by a truck, then smashed by a trash compactor._

_“_ I already said I felt fine.”

”Okay. I believe you.”

Ryan did not believe Shane.

 

——

 

It took them a day and a half with several breaks before they arrived back at Ryan’s apartment. Shane was insistent that he drive at least once, and Ryan finally caved once they reached their first stop in California. He let Ryan take care of the equipment though, since Shane received a look from Ryan every time he’d try to help.

Seated cross-legged on the floor, Shane watched as Ryan paced a circle around his cohost. There was the sound of something plastic, then a burning feeling shot up Shane’s arm.

”Dude, what the fuck!” he practically shouted, clutching the wound.

”So you _are_ a demon,” Ryan responded. He was far too calm.

”I mean..” It wasn’t like Shane could avoid it. After the forest incident..his secret wasn’t much of a secret anymore.

”You don’t have to say it out loud.” Ryan shook his head, dropped the water pistol on the table, and sat down.

Shane looked down at the floor. “You made a salt circle.”

”Yeah.”

”You don’t trust me?”

”I don’t know.”

Shane was hurt. Sure, he was a demon, but he would never harm Ryan. “I’m still the same-“

Ryan slammed his hands on the table, making Shane jump.

”No. You’re not,” he said. “Whatever I’m talking to, I want you out of Shane’s body. I want my friend back.”

”It’s just me in here, Ryan. Nothing else.”

”I don’t believe you.”

”I’ll fill you in on the details if you stop looking at me like you’re going to kill me.”

Shane couldn’t quite place the emotion in Ryan’s eyes. One moment it was sheer terror, the next, unbridled rage. Despite that, he settled back down into his chair, resting his elbows on the table.

”Go on.”

And so, Shane did. He started from Goldsworth’s beginnings up until he traded in his soul in exchange for Ryan’s safety from the killer.

Halfway through the story, Ryan had taken back up his pacing, taking care not to disturb the circle of salt.

”So you’re telling me,” he started, “that Goldsworth was an actual demon, not just a bit, that possessed my body and made me kill people.”

”Uh-huh.”

”And _you_ sold your _soul_ in order to get him to go away.”

”Uh-huh.”

”And now you’re a demon.”

”The fans were right, Ry-guy!” Shane spread his arms to the side and grinned.

”Don't do that,” Ryan said. “Somehow it’s even creepier than it used to be.”

Shane feigned hurt, putting a hand over his heart. “Why I never! Me? _Creepy_? I think not! Personally, I think I’m order to achieve ‘creepy’, I’d have to pull a stunt like _this_.”

He relaxed, letting the demonic attributes he possessed reveal themselves. Ryan’s eyes widened.

”Is this better?” Shane asked through sharpened teeth, raising his arms again.

”Shane, please, I don’t- Stop, Shane. Just stop,” Ryan answered, stumbling over words.

“What do you want from me, Ryan? Do you want me to make this all disappear and pretend that you’re not afraid of me?” He stood, tail lashing as he continued.

”Do you think I wanted this? All I wanted was for my best friend to be safe. All I wanted was for _you_ to be safe from that sick, twisted bastard. I didn’t want you to be afraid of me. I didn’t want you to think I was a monster. _I didn’t want **this**_.”

Somewhere in there Shane had started crying, frustration spilling over. He sat down, legs shaking.

”I didn’t want this.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ”How could I be afraid of my best friend?”

The first thing Ryan wants to do is comfort Shane.

Then, yell at him.

Back and forth, comfort and yell. Reaching out a hand to touch a shoulder but fearing the consequences.

”It’s my own fault, but you had this planned,” Shane said, voice thick with tears and muffled behind hands. “Somehow, some way, you knew that I was..That I became..That I’m just a monster. You knew. You knew.”

”I didn’t.”

”Don’t lie to me, Ryan.” Shane looked up at him, eyes red. “Maybe you don’t think you did, but there’s a part of you that always wondered, isn't there?”

Ryan couldn’t hide his hesitation. He had sort of..sensed that something had been off about Shane for quite a while, but it was never something he could place.

Shane stood on shaky legs. “Go ahead, little guy. Get all your anger out. And don’t even try to lie and say you’re not upset with me, because I know you are. I’m not stupid.”

”You’re right. I am mad,” Ryan confirmed. “I’m pissed that you kept this from me, even more pissed that you’d lie to me, too.”

He walked around the salt circle slowly, head down. 

“But,” he continued, “you saved my life. Once from Goldsworth, and once from whatever that giant creature was back in the forest. So..it evens out, in some ways.”

”Are..Are you sure?” Shane was, to say the least, absolutely and utterly confused. “You’re not gonna yell at me? Spray more holy water on me? Call Father Thomas and get me exorcised?”

”One, no, I won’t yell at you. Two, even if I wanted to, I’m all out. And three, I think that would kill you if you're a demon but don’t actually have something possessing you. I don’t know how that works.”

Shane breathed a sigh of relief, coupling it with laughter as he dug the heels of his hands into his eyes, pressing until he could see stars.

”Ryan Steven Bergara, you are fucking insane,” he laughed. “You’re standing face to face with one of your worst fears, and you’re not freaking out. You’re not trying to get rid of me or kill me. This is next level shit.”

”How could I be afraid of my best friend?” 

It was said so softly, so kindly, that Shane froze in place. He lowered his hands, blinking away the fuzziness brought by the pressure on his eyes.

”But your best friend is a _demon_ , Ryan.”

”And he’s still my friend.”

Had he not been trapped within the salt, Shane probably would’ve hugged his cohost right then and there. Instead, he smiled.

”You’re a rarity, Ryan. You hunt down the good in me,” Shane said. “Now, can you please let me out of this circle?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ope sorry this is so short  
> the end is nearing, folks! but don’t worry because I have other fic ideas ready to go once I finish this one


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m a demon, Ryan, not the devil himself.”

In short, life as a demon was not easy for Shane. Eventually the day came where Ryan and many, of not all, of the people Shane knew so long ago passed on. 

Of course, ghosts were real, and Ryan made sure to remind Shane of that at every opportunity possible.

”Can you believe you used to think this wasn’t real?” Ryan asked, spinning in lazy circles in the air.

”You were right about one thing, little guy,” Shane agreed. He folded his arms and leaned back in his chair as best he could with wings.

He was currently sitting in his eighth apartment, moving around so as to not draw suspicion when he didn’t age along with the other residents of the building and stayed many years after them. Ryan was his ghostly roommate, “living” out his dreams.

”It’s still really weird seeing you with horns,” Ryan said, finally settling on the floor. “Wings and tail, too. Surprised you didn’t get the cloven hooves too.”

”I’m a demon, Ryan, not the devil himself. Decent guy, though. Reminds me of his South Park counterpart.”

Ryan nodded, thinking. “Not that I have a desire to meet him or anything, but do you ever think I will?”

”If you went down and spent eternity in hell with me, then yes. Otherwise, very unlikely. Luckily for you, you’ve got all the time in the world to figure out where you wanna go.”

“Very true. I do miss having a solid body, though.”

”Not sure if you’d get one down there or not. You aren’t a demon.”

“Maybe I’ll become one or something,” Ryan said, face breaking into a smile.

”Father Thomas would’ve been so disappointed hearing that from you,” Shane said back, unable to help smiling himself.

”Not a bad plan though, eh? Ghoul brothers in life and in death.”

“Ghoul brothers in life and death.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another short one for the end of the fic, along with the end of the series!  
> stay tuned for more BFU fics though I have plenty of ideas


End file.
